She picked up the banana and put it in her pocket. Then she took a large bite out of the sandwich, even though she still wasn’t hungry. No telling when she would get anything to eat again.
Then she stood, and without a look back, headed down the path into the woods, drinking the milk as she walked.
Behind her the sounds of the laughter slowly faded. And with it, all her hope for a better life.
Somewhere along the Atlantic Coast
Twenty-seven-year-old Bonnie Risk had decided it was just too nice a day to stay indoors. She and her seven-year-old son Neal needed to get out, especially since it was Saturday and Neal’s father had gone in to work. They lived a short fifteen minutes away from their favorite beach, and Bonnie had figured there wouldn’t be many people there this time of the year, even on a weekend.
She had been right. Maybe only a dozen others strolled the beach or sat watching the waves. The sun was just warm enough for her to spread a towel and sit comfortably while Neal played nearby. This was better than the summer, since there weren’t many people and it wasn’t hot and humid.
“Mom!” Neal shouted. “Look!”
Something was coming up out of the water. A very strange something. First there was a head, then shoulders, then arms—with flippers.
Bonnie quickly scrambled over to Neal and stood, grasping his shoulders so he wouldn’t move.
The thing looked half fish, half human. It also had flipperlike feet, and a human face. A very familiar human face, actually.
She watched as the creature came up out of the water. By the time it reached dry sand, its flippers had turned back into feet and arms.
It was a man. A very naked man now, who walked forward, clearly disgusted, clearly angry, dripping water. He veered toward where she had been sitting, grabbed her towel off the sand, and wrapped it around himself. She almost shouted for him to stop, but at that instant he turned and looked at her and she realized who it was.
Senator Robert Kelly!
Just a few days before, she had spent most of a day watching his Senate hearings on television. Senate hearings investigating mutants. But if he was a mutant himself, why did he hate the other mutants so much? More than ever, nothing in politics made sense to her.
He glared at her as she clutched Neal close to her side.
“Mom?” Neal said, loud enough for Kelly to hear. “Is that a mutant?”
Kelly sneered contemptuously, then turned and started toward the street and parking lot. Halfway there, he suddenly bent over, clutching his stomach as if in extreme pain. Then she heard him moan as he dropped to one knee, his head down.
“Stay here!” she ordered Neal.
She started toward Kelly to see what she could do to help him. Mutant or not, senator or not, he was still human, and it looked like he needed help. But before she could take two steps, he had straightened up, stood, and started walking again.
She stopped, dumbfounded, as he moved away. Then, with a shrug, she moved back to Neal, murmuring under her breath. “Hypocritical politicians.”
There was no doubt about it—this was one trip to the beach they were both going to remember for a very long time.
Chapter Thirteen
X-Men Mansion
Professor Xavier held up the X rays and studied them again, looking for anything that might give him a clue as to why Magneto was after Logan. Clearly there must be a reason, and that reason was somehow important to what Magneto was planning.
The door to the medical lab clicked and opened as the professor put down one X ray and held up another. Without turning, he knew it was Scott who had just come in. He could sense the anger in his young team leader.
“What are you looking for, Scott?” he asked, still without turning around.
The young X-Man slipped up on top of a lab bed and shook his head. “Nothing, really. Any luck finding Magneto with the Cerebro?”
“No. And it’s strange,” Xavier said. The fact that he couldn’t find Magneto bothered Xavier a lot. Somehow Magneto was shielding himself against the Cerebro, which might mean that others in the brotherhood could do so as well, if Magneto wanted them to.
Xavier put down another X ray and picked up a third, continuing to study.
“There are far more powerful mutants than Logan,” Scott said. “Why is this one so important to him?”
Xavier turned and glanced at Scott. It was clear, even without reading the young man’s mind, that he was very troubled. “You don’t like him, do you?”
Scott almost snorted. “How can you tell?” he asked sarcastically.
Xavier smiled. “Well, I’m psychic, you know.”
Scott laughed.
“Logan could be a valuable addition here,” Xavier said, staring at the young leader.
“He’s not one of us,” Scott replied.
“But he is,” Xavier said, as forcefully as he dared. “Don’t ever forget that.”
“Fine,” Scott said. “But you put a guy like that in a combat situation, there’s no way he’s going to take orders.”
Xavier stared at Scott. “Give him an order worth following, and he’ll take it.”
Scott nodded, adjusted his glasses, still not happy. “He’s not a team player.”
Xavier laughed softly. “Neither were you, Scott, when you first arrived. Remember?”
Scott was about to respond when the door slammed open. Logan stood there, clearly upset. Professor Xavier could tell exactly what he was thinking, and it wasn’t good.
“She’s gone!” Logan said.
“Who?” Scott asked, dropping down off the table.
“Rogue,” Xavier said.
Logan nodded.
The professor stretched out his mind until he found who he was looking for. Storm. Jean. Meet us at Cerebro. Rogue has disappeared.
“Come with me,” Xavier said out loud to Cyclops and Logan, moving his chair past Cyclops and toward the door. Logan quickly stepped aside.
Xavier turned his chair to the right and headed for the thick steel door at the end of the hallway. Beyond it was a room in which he had spent much time over the past week, looking for Magneto without success.
From the elevator, Storm and Jean burst into the hall.
“What are we doing?” Logan demanded, staring at the others as they all approached Cerebro’s polished steel door. “Why aren’t we looking for her?”
“We are,” Cyclops said.
Xavier moved his chair up to a panel positioned at his eye level beside the door. The screen lit up, registering his presence, and he let it scan his eyes and forehead. A measure to keep out those who shouldn’t have access to Cerebro, including any of the school’s inquisitive students.
A moment later the security computer recognized him and the massive steel door clicked loudly, then started to open.
“The brain waves of mutants are different than average human beings,” Xavier said, explaining to Logan as they moved along. “Cerebro is a device which amplifies my power, allowing me to locate mutants over great distances.”
“That’s how you followed the Sabretooth guy,” Logan said, nodding. “And found me and Rogue.”
“It is.”
“Welcome, Professor,” the computer voice said as they all moved inside.
Xavier nodded as he caught a wave of amazement from Logan, who was impressed at the size of the room in which they stood. It was big, completely round, and had only one entrance and exit. It was, the professor explained, simply described, a radio antenna for brain waves.
The entrance had led them to a small platform at the center of one wall. The platform was engineered to extend out so that the operator was dropped directly in the center of the sphere.
“Well,” Logan said, looking around, “this certainly is a big, round room. Why don’t you just use this to find Magneto?”
“I’ve been trying,” Xavier said as he moved into position. “But he seems to have found a way to shield himself from it.”
Logan stared at him. “Just ho
w would he know how to do that?”
“Because he helped me build it.”
Logan’s face registered shock that would have been almost amusing at any other time. But right now they had to find Rogue. And fast, before something happened to her.
“Would you excuse me?” Xavier said to the rest.
Jean quickly set a few controls on the main board; then all of them moved back to the hallway. Slowly the door closed, blocking them out—and blocking out all other thoughts from the mutants in the building.
Xavier tapped a button on his chair, and a headset lowered quickly from the ceiling. As it did, the room seemed to come to life. The walls seemed to move away, slowly at first, then faster and faster, until their movement was no longer visible.
The ramp and headset slowly extended into the center of the large room, coming to a stop at the exact point where his head was located—the exact center of Cerebro.
Suddenly, all around him, the wall seemed to move outward, away from him.
Exploding.
Until he was simply alone, sitting in a black void.
Then he let his mind climb, up out of the basement, out of the mansion. The light above seemed bright, but he knew he wasn’t seeing it with his eyes. Just with his brain.
Soon he could feel Rogue.
Jean had set the Cerebro to focus on Rogue’s brain waves, and it was taking him to her.
He felt like a bird, free of the wheelchair and of his body, flashing over the trees, the roads, the houses. He let himself go. Everything seemed like a blur of color, yet he knew he could stop at any moment, to seek out any detail. The surroundings were more like a movie in fast forward.
He could sense Rogue’s brain waves, the power of her personality, pulling him toward her.
Down he went—over a building, over other people—until he finally saw her, sitting on a bench alone. He eased into her mind, without letting her know he was there, until he saw what she saw. He felt her fear, her sadness, and what had made her run away.
He would take care of the other students after he knew exactly where she was. Once she was safe and sound.
As he carefully searched her mind for her location, she helped him without knowing it. She looked up at an Arrivals/Departures board, and he knew exactly where she was.
A moment later he was back in Cerebro, the ramp withdrawing, the door swinging open.
Logan stared for a moment at the closed door, then at Jean. For the last minute or so no one had said a word. He had simply paced. Storm and Cyclops had sat on the floor. Jean had stood near Cerebro’s control panel, watching it intently.
“What’s it like?” Logan asked, finally unable to stand the silence anymore. “This Cerebro thing he’s using.”
“I’ve never used Cerebro,” Jean said. “It takes a certain degree of control.”
“And I’m not prepared to see your memory erased,” Cyclops said.
Logan looked at her sharply, and she nodded. Then she glanced at the panel. “He’s coming out.”
They all gathered around as the massive steel door opened, like an ultramodern bank vault. Professor Xavier wheeled out and looked up at Cyclops. “She’s a few miles up the road. At the train station.”
“I’ll go,” Logan said, starting to turn away.
“You can’t leave the mansion, Logan,” Xavier said. “It’s just the opportunity that Magneto needs.”
Logan turned and faced the professor straight on. “Yeah, but I’m the reason she took off.”
The hard eyes of the professor looked back at him without blinking. “We had a deal, Logan. Forty-eight hours.”
Logan nodded. He had made that deal. But he felt responsible for Rogue.
“She’s all right, Logan,” Jean said. “She’s just upset.”
“Storm, Cyclops,” Xavier said, turning toward them. “Go see if you can talk to her.”
Cyclops nodded, and they both headed off at a run to the ready room, to change into the black uniforms.
“Jean, we have to talk to the rest of the students,” the professor said.
Jean nodded, and the two of them moved to the elevator, leaving Logan standing there, fuming.
A deal was a deal. He knew that.
He started to follow the professor and Jean, then stopped. This was Rogue. And she could be in danger. He wouldn’t allow that to happen. Besides, while Cyclops and Storm changed clothes, Rogue might get away. Or worse.
To hell with the deal. Sometimes responsibility had to take precedence.
To hell with this Magneto character, too. What had happened last night to Rogue was more important to him.
He turned and moved quickly down the hallway to the door that led into the mansion’s underground garage. Unlike the hangar, with its one special plane, this garage was filled with all sorts of vehicles, all painted black.
A black motorcycle sat to one side, a black helmet sitting on the seat. He knocked the helmet aside and climbed on, kicking the bike into life. He could feel the power of the machine, clearly souped up and well tuned. Nothing like a powerful bike to give a guy a sense of confidence.
He popped it into gear; then, with the back tire spinning, he headed out into the deepening night.
Behind him he heard faint shouting. And ignored it.
Chapter Fourteen
Westchester Train Station
Rogue moved down the aisle of the train until she found two empty seats. She hoped the car wasn’t going to be crowded. She didn’t want anyone sitting next to her. Across the aisle, a young woman and child were playing together, laughing lightly. She couldn’t imagine ever being that happy again.
Outside the window, people stood on the old wooden platform, talking, saying good-bye to friends, or just waiting. They all looked normal. More than likely they all led normal lives. She wondered how she looked to them.
“Hey, kid,” a voice said.
She glanced up as Logan dropped into the spot beside her, smiling.
She turned back to face the window without saying a word. There was nothing she could say to him. She had almost killed him last night. She had no idea what he was even doing here.
“You runnin’ again?” Logan asked.
“How did you know I was here?” Rogue asked without turning her face away from the window.
“Well,” Logan said, “the professor put on this metal head thing, and—” He waved his hand in disgust. “Don’t ask.”
“Sorry I did,” she said.
“You even have a ticket?”
“No,” Rogue said. She had figured she would deal with that problem once the train started moving. Even if they kicked her off, she would still be farther from the mansion than she had been.
“Then let me give you some free advice,” Logan said. “When the ticket guy comes, hide in the bathroom. You won’t have to pay that way.”
She nodded. She had no idea why he was helping her. Or if he was even going to ride along with her. Finally she just had to know what he knew. She turned from the window to face him. “I hear the professor was mad at me.”
Logan half snorted. “Why would he be mad at you?”
“Because I used my power on another mutant,” Rogue said. “And I’m never supposed to.”
Logan looked at her, clearly puzzled. “Who told you that?”
“Bobby,” Rogue said softly.
“One of the other students?” Logan asked.
“Yes,” Rogue said.
“And you didn’t go ask the professor or Storm or Jean? Or even Scott?”
Rogue shook her head. It just hadn’t occurred to her. Bobby seemed as if he knew what he was talking about.
Logan sighed and said nothing.
X-Men Mansion
Bobby stood in front of the heavy steel door that led to Cerebro, just staring at it as if it might open of its own accord. Of course, it wouldn’t. He glanced around, making sure no one was coming in either direction. Then he started to shift.
Quickly Mystique moved b
ack into the shape of her own body. She took a moment to draw a breath, then focused on what she needed to do next. She had to remember the exact patterns, the exact details. Everything needed to be perfect. Especially the eyes. Being young Bobby had been easy. She had fooled the girl Rogue, just as they had planned. But this shift had to be exact. And that was something she hadn’t done often.
With her most intense focus, she started to shift again. This time just changing part of herself.
She focused on every detail in her mind, as she shifted from the shoulders up into a replica of Professor Xavier.
When she was finished, she keyed in a sequence that opened the panel near the door, then knelt down slightly in front of the retinal scanner. It lit up, scanning her forehead and eyes.
For a moment she thought it might not work.
Then, with a satisfying clanking sound, the door unlocked and slowly swung open.
She quickly shifted back to her natural form and stepped inside. She turned and pulled the door almost closed behind her, making sure it didn’t latch. She hoped anyone passing by would not notice the slightly open door, but she also didn’t want to be trapped inside this machine. That was for sure.
“Welcome, Professor,” the machine said.
She didn’t answer. Magneto had told her to be very careful about that. He had no idea what safety features Charles Xavier had added lately.
Mystique quickly moved to the console near the edge of the platform. The massive round room remained completely dark around her, but she had practiced hundreds of times what she was going to do next. She didn’t need light.
She swung in under the console and with a small screwdriver opened the panel she found there.
A bright white light covered her. It came from a beautiful, intricate, fiber-optic core that was suspended under the panel. It seemed almost like a ball of energy.
Or a brain. More like a glowing white brain.
She studied it for a moment, then quickly jammed the screwdriver into it, again and again.
After a couple dozen hits, the light faded, leaving only gray tubes, broken wires, and dripping fluid.
She had killed it.
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